When the 79th Geneva Motor Show opens its doors in a little over a week from now, another model making its debut will be a special edition of the lovable smart fortwo micro hybrid drive (mhd) – one the company is calling the smart fortwo "edition limited three."  A picture of spring, the fortwo limited edition three is based on the passion equipment line, and comes standard with melon green metallic paintwork and a host of practical options.  Highlights include 15-inch alloy wheels in a six-spoke design, softouch automatic gear program, electric windows, air conditioning with automatic temperature control, dashboard instruments and the radio 9...

Keep Reading "Geneva Motor Show Preview:  The Smart Fortwo Special Model 'Edition Limited Three'"

Welcome back ladies and gentlemen; I hope you all  had a fantastic weekend.  We didn't quite find the time you bring this article last week, but we felt this article was worth a mention even late, because let's be honest:  who doesn't love reading about a 228,500 euro two-tone GL-Class?  I know I do, so here for your viewing pleasure is the Carlsson Aigner CK55 RS Rascasse, a limited edition Mercedes GL500 developed by Mercedes tuning firm Carlsson and the luxury leather brand Etienne Aigner AG...

Keep Reading "Geneva Motor Show Preview:  The Carlsson Aigner CK55 RS Mercedes GL500"

While we're on the subject of Mercedes G-Class tuning, RENNtech has unveiled new renderings showcasing a potential variant of the SUV that they're considering for future production.  Details of the G Wagen are relatively limited, but the company says it's inspired by 30 years of G-Wagens and will feature a diesel powerplant (in addition to the various cosmetic enhancements you see above)...

Keep Reading "Love Chrome?  Then You'll Love RENNtech's G-Class CDI Concept"

If you're in the mood for a bit Mercedes tuning action, you're in luck ladies and gentlemen, because that's exactly what we have for you this morning, starting with the insanely powered BRABUS G V12 S Biturbo.  Based on the Mercedes G-Class, BRABUS engineers turned the legendary SUV into an all-out monster, shoehorning the V12 Biturbo currently found in the S600 into the model's engine bay, then increasing its displacement from 5.5 to 6.3 liters.  The end result is a G-Class packing 700 horsepower (690 bhp) / 515 kW along with 1,320 Nm of torque.  That's enough to propel the G V12 S from 0-62 mph in 4.3 seconds before hitting its top speed of 163 mph (it's limited to 150 mph, however)...

Keep Reading "Geneva Motor Show Preview:  The BRABUS G V12 S Biturbo Mercedes-Benz G-Class"

As of late, you may have noticed somewhat of a decrease in the number of stories we publish and a somewhat sporadic nature of those that we do. After much debate, we felt compelled to tell you why, as we believe that you, the readers, deserve to know more about the workings and ideals of eMercedesBenz. It is, after all, because of your readership and support that eMercedesBenz exists.

Our story begins approximately three-and-a-half years ago, when eMercedesBenz was founded. Initially, our goal was simply to create a website that would allow those interested in Mercedes-Benz to follow the brand on a daily basis, utilizing a medium that at the time was far less prominent than it is today: the weblog. We built the site from scratch, using our limited knowledge of coding (hence, the lack of features when compared to other weblogs). We figured we'd first focus on gaining readers, and subsequently implement more user interactive features as the site grew. We quickly realized the error of our ways, however, when as the site gained more notoriety, we quickly became inundated with emails from readers who weren't asking us to implement the features found on other blogs, but rather were asking questions about virtually all aspects of the brand. Did we have more information on an upcoming model; where could they buy a specific item mentioned on the site; did we have a brochure of a vintage pre-war Mercedes model, etc.

We soon realized that it wasn't a more fully-featured blog that would be most beneficial to our readers, it was an outlet that gave them a voice – one to communicate with Mercedes; one to have their questions answered; and one where they could speak openly about any aspects of Mercedes-Benz that interested them. With that, our future vision for eMercedesBenz was born.

Our new goal was a straightforward one: create a hybrid medium that would blend features of a traditional weblog with an unprecedented level of social networking aspects. Think of it as your favorite blog, Facebook, YouTube, Flickr and Wikipedia all rolled into one. Our vision for eMercedesBenz was built on three key components:

1) It would be a site that first and foremost, focused on content. If you hate social networks and you've sworn never to use one, it wouldn't matter, because we would continue publishing a wealth of articles pertaining to Mercedes-Benz on a daily basis, but to a much greater extent. Not only would be we bring you the latest news pertaining the company and its products, but any historical information you sought about any of the Mercedes models from the past 125 years would be at your disposal. Simply put, it would be the single greatest source of new and historical Mercedes-Benz information ever made available.

2) It would offer exclusive access to the brand. In other words, rather than having to wait until after a model's launch to see what went into a new model's development, you would have a behind-the-scenes look at the model's development in real time. When a new model was released, you would have the ability to speak directly to the model's designers, gaining a unique perspective into how and why they arrived at the finished product. When a new model was unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show, you'd have a backstage pass showing what into the making of the auto show display. In short, our goal was to highlight the hard work and talent of the many incredibly gifted people who play a part in creating each of the Mercedes models you drive, all of whom up until now remain nameless, while at the same time granting you never-before-seen access to the brand.

3) It would create a community environment that allowed direct communication between Mercedes-Benz, its customers, and potential customers. I could speak all day about the social features planned (I won't, don't worry), but our vision was this: we wanted to give you a voice. We wanted to give you the ability to create a unique identity (describe yourself, share videos, photos, etc.), and find other eMercedesBenz members that share similar interests. Let's say you just bought a C63 AMG and had it tuned by RENNTech. Our goal was give you the ability to upload videos and photos of it under your unique eMercedesBenz account (and make them either public or private), join a group of other C63 AMG owners and/or RENNTech owners (or create your own group), talk about your C63 either in group discussions or with your private contacts... the list goes on. If you created a group (such as RENNTech for example), you could communicate directly with your members, inviting them to a day at the track, for example. In essence, we wanted to bring those interested Mercedes in any context together, so they could find others with similar interests and share their thoughts and questions with other like-minded individuals. Or maybe you're not a Mercedes owner but had questions about a specific Mercedes model. You would then have had the ability to create an account and speak directly to thousands of other Mercedes owners, each of whom already owns the model, and each of whom have experience with the model on a daily basis. Personally, I'd take the recommendation of a thousand real-world owners over the recommendation by an editor at Motor Trend any day (sorry Motor Trend, we still love you).  And of course, for those of you that have problems, suggestions or comments for Mercedes, you too would have the ability to communicate directly with the company to share them.

So how did we plan on accomplishing our goals and creating the new site?  We went to Mercedes of course.  Read on to find out what happened next...

Keep Reading "How To Not Get Sponsored By Mercedes-Benz:  An In-Depth Guide"

It's been thirty years since production began on the Mercedes G-Class, and since then, it's become one of the most enduring models of our time.  In total, some 200,000 units of the G-Class have been delivered to customers around the world, all the more impressive considering its design has remained largely unchanged throughout its life span.  Of course, as with any noteworthy Mercedes birthday, it's only fitting a special anniversary model is unveiled to celebrate the occasion, and the G-Glass' 30th is no exception.  In fact, Mercedes has announced the availability of not only one, but two special G-Class 30th anniversary models:  the G-Class EDITION30 and G-Class EDITION30.PUR...

Keep Reading "World Premier Of The Mercedes G-Class EDITION30 And G-Class EDITION30.PUR"

If you're in the mood for a little easy listening while you watch the Dow plummet some 260 points, Mercedes has just released the latest in a long line of Mixed Tapes, offering 10 handpicked tracks each made available to you via free download.  In this, the Mercedes Mixed Tape 25, artist and song highlights include StrayOtic's "My Road," Sosue's "After Love is Gone," Sencha's "Dragonfly" and Northbound's "Forward."

In addition to their Mixed Tape 25, Mercedes has also released a new Mixed Tape Music Magazine, under the theme "Jazzyfied."  Now in its twelfth installment, highlights of the latest Mixed Tape Music Magazine include Nostalgia 77's "Quick Dawn," the "Smooth Jazz" of Jimmy Sommers, Caravan Palace's "Gipsy-Swing-House" and Black Milk's "Second Line-Beats..."

Keep Reading "Mercedes-Benz Mixed Tape 25 And New Mixed Tape Music Magazine Now Available"

After seemingly countless spy photos showcasing the model nearly undisguised, today Mercedes has finally taken the wraps off their new E-Class Coupe, and it looks pretty much exactly as we expected it to.  From a design standpoint, if you're a fan of the new E-Class saloon, chances are you're going to be a fan of the coupe range as well.  Featuring similar styling traits to that of the sedan, the two are clearly members of the same family, although the Coupe offers customers a more contemporary take on the same elements.  In the front, for example, the twin-headlamp face with rhomboid headlamps is still present, but with a sharper, somewhat sportier look.  Also present is a twin-louvre grille with a larger center Mercedes star.  In the back, the contour of the rear wing reminiscent of the Ponton Mercedes of yesteryear is still a prominent feature, while the elongated taillights again bear a similar appearance to the taillights found on the sedan...

Keep Reading "The Mercedes-Benz E-Class Coupe Makes Its World Debut"

Under difficult conditions, reconstruction of the Daimler-Benz Untertürkheim plant began in the aftermath of the Second World War. In addition to the destruction caused by the war itself, these pioneering days were marked by a lack of skilled workers, materials and energy. Under such circumstances it was impossible even to consider the development of new models. So when automobile production resumed in 1946 the Stuttgart brand fell back on the 170 V (W 136), a vehicle it had built from 1936 to 1942. The 170 V was also the first direct forerunner of today's E-Class. But instead of elegant saloons of the upper mid-range category, the first vehicles to come off the assembly line were delivery vehicles – pickups and panel vans – along with ambulances and police patrol cars. These commercial vehicles were urgently needed for Germany’s reconstruction effort...

Keep Reading "eMercedesBenz Feature:  Mercedes-Benz 136 And 191 Series, Predecessors Of The E-Class"

In awards news, readers of the special-interest magazine OFF ROAD have just named the Mercedes-Benz Unimog off-roader of the year 2009 in the category of "Special-purpose vehicles."  This marks the fifth consecutive year the Unimog has taken the award, with the legendary model capturing 42.3 percent of the 44,000 votes tallied.  Models the Unimog beat out to take top honors included the Toyota Hiace, the Iveco Daily and the Ford Transit...

Keep Reading "Mercedes-Benz Unimog Named Off-Roader Of The Year 2009 By Off Road Magazine"

If you're a resident of Canada considering the purchase of a new Mercedes GLK, Mercedes-Benz Canada has just launched a new microsite dedicated to the model aimed at making your purchasing decision a little easier.  As is the case with other GLK microsites, features at your disposal include photos, videos, various technical specifications and an eBrochure, all presented in a highly stylized package.

Commenting on the new GLK microsite, Mark Forsyth, Manager of Interactive Marketing and CRM at Mercedes-Benz Canada, notes:  "A key objective of the site was to provide prospective customers with an emotional connection to the GLK, as well as to celebrate the style and uniqueness that the vehicle clearly possesses. This is one of our hippest and edgiest vehicles to date and we wanted to offer an experience that echoes the values of this demographic..."

Keep Reading "Mercedes-Benz Canada Launches New 2010 GLK-Class Microsite"